It's About the (RV) Journey....: Red Canyon and Kodachrome State Park......

One morning, we got up early to check out the sunrise over Bryce Canyon. We even had a special breakfast of muffins/pastry to entice us to get up in the dark. Hahaha. The morning we were there, the clouds came in just as the sun was ready to rise, so it wasn't really all that spectacular. After hanging around for a bit to enjoy the view, the early morning sunlight did hit the hoodoos and spires in a magical way. Hard to capture with the camera!

the sun ready to come up for the day

you look a little tired and cold there Tom

isn't that magical?

great lighting

more great light

When we drove in to Bryce a few days ago, we passed through Red Canyon, part of Dixie National Forest, and wanted to check that out as well. It was so beautiful riding by...with the deep red sandstone all around us. We even drove through 2 tunnels with the motorhome!

Red Canyon-Highway 12

so red!

here we are at the Visitor Center

After a stop in the Red Canyon Visitor Center, we decided to try hiking the Losee Canyon Trail. The trail goes along the canyon floor and through the wash, passing by red hoodoos and beautiful sandstone cliffs. Walking through the wash (where water flows when it rains) is something new for us. It was a little hard to find the trail on the other side of the wash, but we followed the footsteps and horse prints and did just fine.

start of Losee...not too hot yet

walking through the wash

nice sandstones behind you !

walking along

look how deep that wash is

We passed by some beautiful red rock formations along the way. At times, we were walking among trees as well! Which was good since it was so hot!

can get a bit rocky

hard to find the trail from the wash

very scenic hike

cool-looked like a house

close up

its hot and dry

pretty

very cool rock formations...and so red!

cruising along the trail

more...so interesting

its getting a little hot now

cool rocks

close up

even closer

its certainly very pretty here

lots of rock formations

Though most of the trees are pine, some of the trees are not and they are changing color now. Pretty! We spotted some new to us flowers as well.

cutting through the wash

hmm..where is the trail

check that out

more great views

a bit of shade

may be a little too late though

very cool, very red

striking

where is the trail?

Since most of the hike was in the sun, it got pretty hot for me. All of a sudden, it just was not fun anymore...so we called it a day and walked back. I think we did about 4 miles of the 6 mile roundtrip hike. Maybe next time we are in the area....and its cooler?

a forest of trees and cliffs and hoodoos

giant rock formations

too hot to continue....

new one

the sun is brutal

heading back

nature's art

We came back to the campground to cool off and have our lunch before heading back out to check out Kodachrome State Park. We were actually just going to the visitor center for hiking information, but once we got there, we did a short hike (it was still too hot-85 air temp plus the sun beating down-omg-not good for me).

campground office/laundry/store

beautiful views

heading to Kodachrome

After getting the information at the Visitor Center, we drove to the trailhead for the Arches hike, since it was a short one. The drive to the trailhead was on a gravel road, and the scenery was really pretty, We parked at the trailhead,and were one of two cars there. I think it was too hot!

nice drive into the park

watching the weather

always a cow! ahhaha

This trail was pretty easy, with gently rolling hills and nice sandstone formations. It was not too shady though, so the sun was beating down. At least this time I was smart enough to bring my cooling kerchief! Makes a big difference for body temperature!

starting the Arch Trail-a short one

here we go

nice trail

the trail has a lot of gentle up and down...fun

meandering

do you see the Arch?

The views were amazing. Its so colorful out here, with all the sandstone rock formations. Add to that the color of the sky/clouds, and its quite a sight.

views out past the trail

are we there yet?

great view from the trail

almost there

more cool views

After a while, we came upon the Arch. We were a little disappointed. Not sure what we were thinking, but we had in mind the Arch, as in Arches National Park. Hahhaha. The other rock formations all around us were pretty awesome, and the view beyond was amazing too.

the arch is up here

there it is

see it?

interesting rock formations around the arch area

cool

see...its over there

heading back now

pretty flower

oop, another great overlook from the trail

heading back now

come on Susie...weather is moving in

cool trail....too bad its so hot!

flora

As we were finishing up this kind of short hike, some ominous clouds started moving in rather quickly, and the thunder reverberated throughout the hills. That put a little pep in our steps! We wanted to be sure to get out of this part of the park, what with the gravel roads and all, and not get stuck. (This is jeep country)!

move along.....we don't want to get stuck now!

fun hike....though hot!

Once back in the car, we decided to drive the 3-mile scenic loop,which is on blacktop. This park is known for its stone spires, or sedimentary pipes. For more information, click here. The drive seemed pretty short, and we were done! Hmm. I think you have to hike to some of the spires, but we were too hot to do that.

some of the formations in the park

known for the sandstone spires

i think there are a total of 67 pipes in the park

took about Kodachrome! Check out those colors!

scenic drive through the park

more sandstone formations

more spires

The colors of the surrounding sandstone cliffs were awesome. So many rock formations! We also checked out the campground, by accident actually. We had heard this was a cool campground, and it is...if you have a small rig. We took the wrong turn and ended up in the campground. To get out, you have to drive through the whole thing!